16 Must-Read Memoirs About Health Written by Women

The best way to understand something is to experience it yourself—or to listen to the stories of those who have.

Graphic by Cristina Cianci

Personal narratives matter—whether they come in the form of a published book, an Instagram post, a series of Tweets, a viral essay, or something else entirely. And when it comes to health and wellness, it’s incredibly important to actually hear from those living with conditions, caring for loved ones, or pushing for further research or legislative change.

Angelina Jolie’s essay about her BRCA1 genetic mutation and her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy raised many questions about the “right” choices for women with this gene mutation. Writer Keah Brown’s tweets about what it’s like to live with cerebral palsy, using the hashtag #DisabledAndCute, explore the reality of having a disability in America. Viral Facebook posts about C-section births, miscarriages, and late-term abortions have sparked important conversations and encouraged empathy.

What is it like to know that the gender assigned to you at birth was wrong? To be raised by parents who struggle with hoarding? To fight alcohol addiction, live with chronic pain, or face your own terminal cancer diagnosis? These are just a few of the topics covered in these 16 important memoirs by women. And you should consider reading them.

Christine Hyung-Oak Lee had a stroke when she was 33 years old. She didn’t experience any “typical” stroke symptoms like a slurred speech, or drooping on one side of her face, so it took her a couple of days to seek medical attention—and months to recover.

Lee kept a journal during her recovery, and wrote a viral essay about it for BuzzFeed. Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember is Lee’s memoir about recovering from her stroke—and what came next.

When Terese Mailhot was hospitalized and diagnosed with PTSD and bipolar II disorder, someone gave her a notebook where she could record all her thoughts. Those writings turned into Heart Berries, Mailhot’s memoir about growing up on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest, coming to terms with her dysfunctional family, and facing her mental health issues. Writer Sherman Alexie described this book as “an Iliad for the indigenous,” and I can’t wait to read it.

Hoarding disorder is a very real condition, and not the butt of the joke that some TV shows make it out to be. Kimberley Rae Miller grew up hiding her parents’ hoarding from her friends and acquaintances, and her memoir details exactly what that was like.

Writer and activist Audre Lorde was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978. This nonfiction book is an incredibly powerful account of her diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy, with excerpts from her personal diaries. Lorde writes about the importance of her support system, and her complicated feelings about post-surgical counseling and using a prosthetic breast. This book is an incredibly moving and powerful read.

What happens when a doctor suddenly and unexpectedly becomes a patient? That’s what happened to critical care physician Rana Awdish. When Awdish was seven months pregnant, a benign tumor in her liver ruptured, causing massive blood loss, multi-organ failure, a stroke, and a miscarriage.

During her treatment, Awdish was horrified by some of the casual comments she overheard medical staff make, as well as ways in which insurance companies and hospital administrators let her down.

Awdish made a full recovery and returned to medicine, and she is now committed to changing the way doctors speak about and empathize with their patients. Her book is a thoughtful meditation on how doctors can empathize with patients, and a call to action for anyone involved in caregiving.

As soon as I heard about Grubbs’ book, I added it to my reading list. Grubbs—a physician—fell in love with a man who had end-stage kidney disease, and was on the transplant list. Grubbs ended up donating her own kidney to her now-husband, and throughout the process witnessed first-hand many racial disparities that African-American patients and donors face.

This book doesn’t come out until June, but I can’t wait to read it. Porochista Khakpour has been sick for as long as she can remember. Her memoir details the long, complicated path to her diagnosis—and what happened next.

Elizabeth Ward, the Chief of Psychiatry for Correctional Health Services in New York City, wrote this book about life inside the forensic psychiatry unit of Bellevue Hospital. I’m excited to read about what she’s learned in her position, and what suggestions she has to offer for inpatient mental treatment going forward.

I’ve been a fan of Janet Mock since…forever. And her memoir, Redefining Realness, is a truly captivating read that helps explain what it’s like to grow up with the wrong gender assigned to you—and what it’s like to push back.

This pick is another one on my list of books to read. Poet Nina Riggs was 37 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and learned it was terminal within one year. This book contains Riggs’ reflections on life and death.

When Susannah Cahalan was 24, she woke up strapped to a hospital bed unable to move or speak, and with no memory of what had happened. She doesn’t remember much from this time, but her parents kept journals during the month or so when she was incapacitated. Cahalan was eventually diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, and her memoir is absolutely captivating.

What’s it like to have an excruciating headache that never goes away? Paula Kamen triggered a headache by putting in a contact lens when she was 24, and the pain hasn’t left her since. Her memoir, about chronic pain and search for a cure, is a must-read.

When Caroline Knapp was a teenager, she started drinking because it helped her feel brave and powerful. Her memoir offers some striking insights into what it means to be addicted to alcohol, through the retelling of her own story and what she learned along the way.